Amnesty to stage 12 hour vigil

Names of children who have died will be read out

Amnesty International Isle of Man will mark the third anniversary of the conflict in Gaza this Saturday with a 12-hour reading of more than 10,000 children's names in Douglas.

Phil Matthews, chair of Amnesty International Isle of Man Group, says over 40 volunteer readers will take turns from 8am to 8pm in the cultural quarter near the Sefton Hotel.

"We will be reading out the names of more than 10,000 children who have been killed in some of the most horrific circumstances imaginable," he's been telling Sam Turton:

The event's theme is "Don't mention the children," drawn from a Michael Rosen poem written after Israel banned media from naming children killed in 2014. It will be read every hour on the hour.

A display featuring part of a car riddled with bullet holes will honour five-year-old Hind Rajab, who died after waiting three hours for paramedics.

From 6pm onwards, as darkness falls, attendees are invited back for a candlelit vigil with music, readings and reflection.

Mr Matthews says: "We want it to be the biggest event we've ever done.

"If it wasn't for us and everybody else that's taken part, the hundreds that have taken part, the Isle of Man would have been totally silent on this."

He added: "We are so pleased and grateful and acknowledged that the Isle of Man is one of the few places where authorities and the police have allowed us to carry on with these peaceful demonstrations."

Israel has repeatedly denied it is committing genocide in Gaza.